Dr. Laing sees the blueprint and says it’s like “An unconscious diagram of some kind of psychic event”

Meet Dr. Robert Laing, a psychiatrist who has just moved into a luxury high rise experimental community building trying to start over and trying to find the place where he belongs in society. He’s a fluid man who sways and flirts with the tenants from different socioeconomic backgrounds. But they know better. The tumultuous and never ending argument between the tenants on the top floors versus the tenants on the lower floors does not deter him from the everyday and seemingly rigorous task of living his life. The architect is played by Jeremy Irons, a seemingly intelligent figure who reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. He’s the man behind the dream, the man who envisions and brings his idea of the perfect living environment to life but like the Wizard, once the curtain is pulled you find out he has no real idea of how to really construct a full functioning and decent habitat for the different social classes.

I didn’t see much difference within the social classes that resided in the high rise. To me they were both barbaric, heathens, selfish, and greedy in their own ways. They had their own agendas. The building itself didn’t seem like the type of place you would consider a luxurious place you’d want to start over. It was drab and gray with high balcony walls that didn’t offer a picturesque view at all, almost prison-like. Reminds me of living conditions in our society. Gates and bars to keep the riff raff out. Gates and bars to imprison ourselves. But in this case the riff raff resided behind the walls. The tenants were sheltered from the outside against the very ugly things that hid within them all along.

Dr. Laing couldn’t find it in himself to settle down because he wasn’t really home. He wasn’t comfortable. There were too many life expectations. Boxes remained unpacked. He couldn’t decide on a paint colour. He was an outsider gathering mental commentary on the different people and groups he spent time with only to experience madness in his day to day grind.The use of metaphors was so delightful and intriguing. We are given a vision of fruit rotting as the architect explains how certain things about his building are falling apart or settling in. All unravels, as the architect becomes unhinged. His marriage falls apart, his building, the quality of life for his tenants. He even states that, “I am the architect of my own accident”. There is also the theme of going over the edge. There are some important scenes that take place on the balcony and in the movie they are recurring.

There is violence, lust, voyeurism, celebration, and death. There is a thin line between being civil vs going over the edge. But for how many? It forced me to ask the question, under what circumstances would I break? Would I riot? Would I hurt an innocent? Would I steal? This film would be a perfect topic of discussion for a sociology or psychology class. Are we all susceptible to being stripped down to our inner most animalistic urges? According to Freud and Pavlov it depends on the psyche. According to me, it’s all a matter of our environment, psyche, and influences all mixed up together creating a concoction of who we really are. But do we really have control over what or who we really want or aim to be? Dr. Laing had a career. He made money. He was handsome. He got sex. He had what he needed but he still had desires that weren’t being met, and it drove him mad. At the end of the movie when all those things were stripped from him and he didn’t have a social class to gravel to he was at peace.

]]>https://nightmarescreams.wordpress.com/2017/04/08/high-rise2015/feed/1shanilnikoleHow I ink a sketchhttps://nightmarescreams.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/how-i-ink-a-sketch/
https://nightmarescreams.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/how-i-ink-a-sketch/#respondSun, 26 Mar 2017 16:20:39 +0000http://nightmarescreams.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/how-i-ink-a-sketch/Daily Doodle: I thought I would break with the usual daily doodle to share a video today. I have had a number of comments and emails from people asking how I do my doodles so i thought the best way would be to show you. it starts with a pencil sketch and…]]>

I thought I would break with the usual daily doodle to share a video today. I have had a number of comments and emails from people asking how I do my doodles so i thought the best way would be to show you.

it starts with a pencil sketch and then…

The drawing is called Black Bubbles and I am currently trying to find an A3 scanner so I can scan it in and post it in more detail.

Plot – Still struggling after living through a horrific assault, new college student Brad (Schnetzer) finds himself enduring a new kind of terror in a fraternity hazing period that his brother Brett (Jonas) is a proud member of.

“Pledges gotta go through hell, otherwise, what’s the point?”

Review by Eddie on 08/03/2017

The tradition of college pledges and hazing has seemingly been around as long as the hills themselves and in a movie sense has been a part of almost every college film we’ve laid eyes upon, often portrayed as hilarious and laughter inducing events that are a rite of passage for college teens looking to establish themselves in a fraternity or “brotherhood/sisterhood” of lifelong friends and accomplices. That Andrew Neel’s Goat therefore feels like the horror version…

The Prophecy is one of my all-time favorite movies about the war in heaven between angels, God, and Lucifer over man. It stars Christopher Walken as Archangel Gabriel, an angel who served as the right hand of God, but who has felt betrayed because of God’s decision to favor man over angels. To him the hierarchy doesn’t make sense so he decides to take matters into his own hands by trying to start a war between the angels who remain loyal vs the fallen. Angel Simon (Eric Stoltz) is one of the protagonists who is loyal and just. He tries to protect the sanctity of heaven and God’s rule by talking sense into Gabriel but is saddened at his failed attempt to convince him otherwise. Simon is prepared to go up against his brother Gabriel’s plans to find the wickedest soul in existence to aid him in his war. There is also a detective/ex-priest named Thomas Dagget (Elias Koteas) who accidentally gets caught up in this war. He wants no part of it, but is drawn in when the life of a child is at risk.

The Prophecy was released in 1995 and for the time of its release it was a pretty good thriller with impressive special effects when compared to other movies that came out during that time. The story was well written with colorful quotes and unforgettable dialogue. Don’t forget the all-star cast that gave amazing performances, especially Walken as Gabriel. He expressed envy, greed, and maliciousness in a way that really had me thinking about the stories in the scriptures and what a creature like an angel might really think about man. I feel pretty old calling this one a classic but it is classic and I do believe that if you’re a fan of Christopher Walken this is a must see.

Right now I’m in the middle of reading the Hellraiser graphic novel series, and after that I plan on reading the Hellraiser Dark Watch series. In April, we’re going to get another Hellraiser graphic novel series and I thought it would be based off the films but will most likely be a collection of all new story lines which is even better. This will be good folks! I’m really enjoying what I’m reading so far with Hellraiser, and am so happy that Clive Barker is very much involved with the graphic novel stories. The series that I’m reading right now doesn’t wander too far off from the original characters and that’s great for fans. When I’m finished with this series, I’ll review it and move on to the Dark Watch, but I’m eager to get the upcoming works from Clive and production. You should visit Clive’s official website for more details!

Simon Dark caught my eye years ago at one of many visits to my favorite comic book shop, Meltdown Comics in West Hollywood, CA. The cover of Simon Dark issue #1 stated “Gotham’s Other Protector”. I was immediately drawn to his cryptic mask and the blood dripping from the wire he held in his hands. I read, and with the help of one of my best friends collected the entire series. It’s a unique twist for another super hero of Gotham. I won’t lie, I like the fact that he protects the innocent but much like the Punisher, he isn’t afraid to kill. It’s something that comes naturally to him and he doesn’t give it second thought.

He isn’t human but learns what it means to be human and the emotions that go along with the baggage that he carries. His first love is a young girl that he saves from the hands of a serial killer. She takes a liking to him and introduces him to another world that he is ignorant of. He has no mother but has a creator that pieced him together from the parts of other young men. This is kind of similar to the Frankenstein story. His powers are great but he really isn’t privy to how powerful he is seeing as he figuratively and literally lives his life in the dark. He’s quite the opposite of what we’re used to seeing with The Batman, and it’s refreshing. He isn’t wealthy, he doesn’t have to go through physical training, and he really isn’t a famous name in the city. Just a neighborhood saviour living in the sewers and stealing books. Occasionally emerging at night to forage for whatever he finds useful and following dangerous criminals that pose a threat to innocent people. I like that there were no cross overs leaving us to focus primarily on Simon’s character and what he brings to Gotham City. I really wish they’d bring this series back as I really do believe that he has a good story line and a great underground following. I could picture a PG-13 or R rated animated series and it doing very successful. One can only dream. Check out more info on Simon Dark. There are single issues which are a bit harder to find in comic shops but you can also look for the complete graphic novel series online.

I thought this was a pretty cool drawing of one of the little critters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a very impressive sketch and I can’t wait to see what else Zombie Sam has hidden in his sketch pads! Thanks for letting me share Zombie Sam!

Check out his links below for more info on his art, music, and more pictures of his good hair ….